Appleby
by SteadyEddy
Summary: AU after HBP. Post-Hogwarts. SLASH. Harry is living in Appleby, trying to find his way. Along comes an old friend to throw his struggling life off balance. And then another familiar face complicates things further. Of course. He is Harry Potter after all.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own it.

**A/N:** This story is AU after HBP, the war went on a lot longer, and a lot of things happened very differently from DH, though I may include concepts and characters from DH. There is also SLASH in this story, you have been warned!

* * *

**APPLEBY**

That night on the tower; Snape, Dumbledore, Draco. And Harry watching. That night was important for Harry – it was the start of everything different. After that everybody looked at him as though he should become Albus Dumbledore, the leader. Harry had done the best he could to help lead, to solve the puzzles with the few clues he had, to do what the greatest wizard of their age hadn't succeeded in doing.

The war had dragged on, and those at the centre of everything fought hard, giving everything they had to fight back against Voldemort.

The beginning of the end was on the night of April 30th, 2001. It was all chaos; witches and wizards everywhere, streaks of light in so many colours streaking across the field. Harry had his closest friends at his back as he threw the final spell. That one spell didn't stop the battle, nor did it end the war – but it meant the end was in sight.

CHAPTER ONE

February, 2003

Harry sat quietly on the couch. His mind tried briefly to make sense of the music he had put on to fill the silence, but his thoughts drifted before long and the melodies blurred together. The twenty-two year old wizard was alone in the two-bedroom house he had been renting by himself for four months already, just like he had been yesterday when he had declined an invitation to lunch with Neville Longbottom; today he had cancelled plans to visit Hermione at her work in the Diagon Alley office of Banks & Moon, the foremost wizarding law firm, where his friend was interning. Harry had made some excuse of being tired and coming down with a cold, but the truth was harder for him to pin down. There was simply something uncomfortable in the idea of seeing his friends, Harry hated the feelings he had when he heard about the endeavours of his schoolmates. For the last few weeks Harry had barely seen any of his friends, each time he did he felt inadequate as they told stories of work and study, occasionally asking Harry if he was doing anything much on his 'vacation'. He would simply give them a smile, clamping down on the nerves erupting in his stomach, and respond that he was simply enjoying doing nothing.

It was coming up to two years since Voldemort had been killed by Harry in a large-scale battle, and around eighteen months since the last of the attacks had stopped. Harry had played a major part in the war, even after Voldemort's death he had been involved, though in a much less dangerous capacity at the urging of various political figures. He hadn't minded being less physically involved, the reasoning behind it, however, irked him. The Head Auror had ordered Harry to stay back because of Minister Scrimgeour's idea that the Boy-Who-Lived shouldn't be risking himself once his job was done, though he was still working with the Auror force fighting the Death Eaters. Harry was too valuable alive to risk. Scrimgeour had used the political repercussions of Harry working with the ministry to keep himself in office for another term. Once the last battle had been fought, Harry had lent a hand re-establishing the wizarding community, showing himself at various projects, including the rebuilding of Diagon Alley and the charming of a new fountain in the Ministry of Magic. Harry had also gone on a six month long tour of several wizarding countries on the advice of both Scrimgeour and Minerva McGonagall, speaking to different communities and fostering ideas of tolerance and solidarity, instead of the bigotry that existed and had spread with Voldemort's efforts. Four months ago, the famous wizard had decided there was little else for him to do, so he had found a house in Appleby – the home of the Appleby Arrows – and taken a vacation from his life to figure out what to do next. He had still ventured out to several celebrations and events he thought were worthwhile, but had for the most part stayed away.

Appleby was a quiet place with a well established wizarding community living alongside the peaceful muggle village. The muggle part of the village was small, with very few public shops and very few residents, many of whom knew something of the wizarding world. There was a small shopping centre accessible to the wizarding population of Appleby, mostly servicing fans of the Appleby Arrows who came to the village; though there was enough there that Harry seldom needed to venture elsewhere for his groceries. For Harry it was a chance to escape much of the lifestyle he had lived while travelling, and, before that, while shifting between Hogwarts and his accommodations with the Auror fighting force. There he had been constantly busy with training, fighting, or attending conferences and meetings; here, though, he thought he had found peace.

Harry's goal in coming to Appleby had been to relax for a while before getting a job or finding another goal to pursue. So far he had found neither. It wasn't that he didn't have job offers, he could probably get any job he wanted, but there wasn't anything that seemed _right_. And now the dark-haired wizard was sitting alone in the house with his head in his hands, feeling completely and utterly lost.

o

In the middle of wizarding London, another young wizard was stepping out of a large marble building with a smirk that could almost be a smile on his face. Draco Malfoy brushed a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his eyes before placing a warm fur-lined hat on his head as he joined the crowd of witches and wizards making their way through Diagon Alley. The day was unseasonably cool with a crispness to it that Draco appreciated as it made everyone move a little faster down the cobble-stone street towards the offices of Banks & Moon.

Approaching an ornate looking door at the far end of the Alley from the Leaky Cauldron, Draco straightened his cloak and stepped up the steps and inside. The air was much warmer out of the open, and a young witch quickly came up to him to take his cloak and hat before he made his way to the meeting where he was expected. The same witch who had divested him of his cloak led him down a long hallway to a partially open door, behind which a portly, older wizard sat shuffling through a pile of papers.

"Ah, Mr Malfoy, come in." Draco thought the man sounded just a little too keen to see him, but kept his face neutral as he shook the man's hand.

"Mr Banks, I hope everything is prepared?" The tone of voice the younger wizard was well-practiced, a hint of condescension and threat tended to go a long way towards making people do as one asked. Banks' smile dimmed a little before returning once again.

"Certainly, Mr Malfoy, there should be no problems. Please, have a seat." He said, gesturing towards a cushioned chair. He cleared his throat briefly as Draco sat gracefully. "We currently have an intern working with us here at Banks & Moon, would you mind if she sat in on the meeting?"

Frowning a little and pausing, the Malfoy heir let Banks sweat for a moment before inclining his head in acquiescence. The lawyer smiled again before hopping out of his seat and going to another door opposite the one Draco entered through, disappearing briefly before returning, followed by a respectfully dressed young witch carrying a notebook and a tray of coffee. For a moment he wondered why she looked familiar before recognition hit.

"Draco." Hermione spoke politely and held out a hand after placing the coffee on the table.

He accepted her hand with the barest of sneers. "Granger. What a _surprise_."

Banks looked horrified at Draco's tone, but as his client made no further show of displeasure and motioned for him to begin he took his seat and the coffee Hermione had poured. He placed a few papers on the table as Draco sat back, looking relaxed and confident.

"Well, Mr Malfoy, we should have an adequate case against your father. The aurors have passed on their reports and they have the evidence collected, but your testimony is the most important part of the case." Watching Hermione carefully, Draco caught her look of surprise; clearly she hadn't been fully aware of what he was doing at Banks & Moon. It was reassuring to know that it wasn't common knowledge he was turning against his father. There would be negative repercussions, particularly amongst the other pureblood families, when the public learned that Draco had acted against his father and the Malfoy name, despite Lucius' involvement with Voldemort.

The discussions with Banks continued on for a couple of hours as they planned what Draco would reveal of his father's activities during and after Voldemort. He had plenty to say against Lucius, but there was plenty that would be better unsaid, particularly if he wanted to live as a Malfoy after the case was heard. The biggest concern was that Draco would be seen as doing everything for his benefit, in an attempt to hide his own past actions.

As the clock on the wall chimed subtly, Banks looked up and said that he had another client to see, though he could put them off if there was more Draco wanted to discuss. Declining, the younger wizard rose to leave.

"Miss Granger will show you out, Mr Malfoy. Please, do not hesitate to contact me if there is anything you wish to discuss. Otherwise I will see you in a week's time." Banks gave a respectful nod of his head as Draco left, Hermione trailing behind him.

Out in the entranceway, once Hermione had retrieved his belongings, the young witch turned to Draco, a serious expression on her face.

"Draco," she began, slightly nervous to be speaking with him – he had been a Death Eater after all, "I just wanted to say that I recognise the difficulty in what you're doing; and I … well I think it's very brave."

He raised an eyebrow at her as he placed his hat back on his head, "thank you for that, Granger, it's good to know _you_ think I'm brave." Sarcastic smirk firmly in place, he turned on his heel and stepped back out into Diagon Alley.

The cool air hit him and made him shiver in his cloak as he walked down the Alley. Seeing Granger again, for the first time in a long time, made him irritated. And her self-righteous attitude, who was _she_ to tell him he was brave? He wasn't a damn _Gryffindor_, he was only doing this because _he_ couldn't have peace of mind while his father was still around; he didn't care about anyone else. His previous good mood ruined, Draco's mind wandered over what would happen when he spoke out against Lucius. There were plenty of possible outcomes, and, unfortunately, a large number of them were not particularly good for him. The blonde wizard knew he had to do it, but that didn't mean he was happy with it.

A loud crack signalled Draco's departure from the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron as he apparated back to the small, bare apartment he was renting in the middle of muggle London.

o

"I'm home!" Hermione called out a greeting to Ginny as she apparated into the foyer of the flat they shared in Hogsmeade. A sharp shriek and a blur of red was all the warning she got as the younger witch came barrelling into her, excitement written all over her face.

"You'll never guess who just asked me out, and where!" Red hair was flying everywhere as Ginny dragged Hermione into the living area, pushing her down to the sofa and handing her a bottle of beer. "Go on, guess!"

Smiling, Hermione sipped at the beer while she thought. It didn't take her long to answer. "Malcolm Fisher; to the Appleby Arrows game."

"Yes!" Ginny shrieked again before collapsing next to Hermione, taking a sip from her own beer as she did so. "Do you think Harry will be going? It's being played in Yorkshire, so it isn't even particularly far away from him. Plus, it's against the Cannons, so Ron will be there."

"I don't know Ginny. He might be, but then he hasn't been out much recently and he told me today that he was coming down with a cold." She sighed into her beer bottle. "To tell the truth, I'm a little worried about him. He's been a bit less social than usual, I just don't know if it's anything more than him being tired."

A small frown graced Ginny's fine features, "I'm sure he's fine. He's probably just enjoying the quiet life after his world tour." She shrugged dismissively, "I wouldn't worry too much about him; he'd say something if he wasn't all right."

o

It was silent, and dark. Harry raised his head from his hands slowly, standing stiffly before flicking his wand in an automatic action to close the curtains and turn on the lights. He hadn't moved from his seat all afternoon, but his stomach had started to proclaim it was time for tea. Harry tiredly made his way to the kitchen, glancing briefly at the wooden clock above the fireplace whose pearlescent face showed the moon cycle as well as the time; he pulled a container of frozen food out of the freezer and gave a quick flick of his wand to reheat it. Molly had sent Ginny over the previous week with some meals for him, proclaiming that a boy living on his own needed home-cooking once in a while, despite the fact that he had been living on his own for a while now.

He was still eating when he heard a knock on the door. Briefly contemplating pretending to be out, Harry sighed before getting up, leaving his half-finished meal on the table.

"Hey, Harry."

"Seamus." He responded with surprise tingeing his voice, stepping aside to let the Irish wizard inside. "I didn't expect to see you here; I thought you were still in America?"

He nervously scratched the back of his head with one hand, his other buried deep in his pocket. "Yeah, well, I didn't expect to be back; not for a while at least. I certainly didn't expect to find myself _here_. It's just, well, I didn't know where else to go."

Harry nodded absently; busy trying to figure out what the smell was that always clung to Seamus, a combination of the outdoors and cinnamon. It was an all too familiar smell, and he could feel old memories and emotions bubbling to the surface. "How long do you need to stay?"

"A couple of days, maybe a week; is that okay?" Seamus looked as though he too was remembering. "It won't be too awkward?"

He shrugged, it probably would be. "No, it'll be fine. I'll make the spare bed for you. Have you eaten?"

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! I'd love to hear what you have to say, so review!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own it

**Disclaimer:** I don't own it.

**A/N:** This story is AU after HBP, the war went on a lot longer, and a lot of things happened very differently from DH, though I may include concepts and characters from DH. There is also SLASH in this story, you have been warned!

* * *

**APPLEBY**

CHAPTER TWO

Harry and Seamus sat next to each other on the sofa, listening to the Wizarding Wireless Network's evening program, both of them more focused on the other sitting next to them than the music being played. Harry was remembering the last time he had seen Seamus; the champagne breakfast at a Washington conference where Seamus had informed him that he was staying in America, rather than following Harry home back to England. It had been an unpleasant surprise for Harry, but what they had had was more about comfort than anything more intimate. At least they had told each other that was all it was, but when he learned he was going to be going back to England alone, Harry had felt an emptiness settle into his chest, a pre-emptive feeling of loss.

"Why are you back?"

Seamus tilted his head towards Harry, as though considering whether or not he should answer. "When I decided to stay in America I was sick of travelling, sick of all the meetings and public appearances, even though you had it worse than me. But I didn't want to come back; I would've ended up going into the Aurors most likely, simply because I had no idea what else I would do. That had been what I was planning; do the tour and then come back and be an Auror." Seamus shifted on the seat, and Harry adjusted his position so that Seamus could lean back into him. "Somewhere along the way I realised that wasn't what I wanted. Basically I freaked and ran away – 'cept I was already away and it was easier to stay there than go anywhere else." With a smile, Seamus turned his head up to Harry. "I guess I finally realised that staying in America wasn't what I wanted to do either. I was being a coward there, hiding, and I _was_ in Gryffindor – even if the sorting hat did take a while to decide – which meant I should probably try to face up to reality eventually."

Harry nodded, though the Irish wizard had already turned away so he couldn't see. "That makes sense. But why here, why come to see me? I wasn't particularly civil to you when you told me you were staying there, so why me?"

"You had every right to be 'not particularly civil' to me. I was an arse dumping it on you like that, though I did laugh seeing the faces the American delegates made as you swore up and down at me!" Seamus snorted inelegantly in remembrance, and felt Harry chuckle in response. "I came to you, Harry, because you had the right to know I was back before anyone else, because I thought you would probably understand better than anyone, and, well, because I missed you." The blunt honesty caught Harry by surprise. He and Seamus had never been very talkative with each other about their feelings, anytime things got emotional one of them would either crack a joke or they would both go silent.

"Harry, I know we were mostly together because we needed it, and there was never the idea that it was a long-term thing, but you were my friend first. The reason we worked so well together like that was because we understood each other. I missed you as a friend most of all." Harry ran a hand briefly through the sandy-blonde hair in front of him, careful not to let the intimate touch linger in case he was overstepping some boundaries. Seamus manoeuvred himself around so that he was kneeling over top of Harry face to face, rather than leaning back against him, and whispered with a cocky grin, "though I've got to say, I did miss the sex, too."

Harry grinned back and whispered "I should hope so" in response before leaning forward and snogging the hell out of him just like he had months ago. His senses overwhelmed him, and he was smelling cinnamon again and feeling Seamus' familiar contours as the pair worked their particular brand of comfort on each other.

o

Ron Weasley was pissed off. The Chudley Cannons were a good team in his opinion, though their opponents were always better, yet they had stagnated.

"What the bloody hell did you hire me for then, if you're not going to even try the damned plays I suggest?" Ron was getting passed pissed off, and heading into more dangerous territory. The team coach, the captain, and the manager were all sitting on the other side of the desk frowning at him as he yelled, but Ron was passed the point of caring, he needed to make his point and yelling seemed the best way to do it. "You're all so bloody closed-minded about anything that wasn't developed at least fifty years ago that you can't see every other team knows your plays and knows how to counter them! If you want to win a game, and I'm labouring under that assumption, you need to start doing something different.

"I've been bringing you new ideas for months and I've seen you use two of them in practice, and _none_ in games. You told me when you hired me that you wanted 'fresh blood' to help you turn the team around, you said I could assist in writing the game plays, but you only want me to use the 'traditional' plays! So much for anything fresh; you're all a bunch of traditionalists who don't realise the need for change! Unless you start giving me something worthwhile to do, which means, at the very least, _practicing_ a few more of the plays, I'm going to leave after the Appleby game this weekend." Ron threw the play book on the table and stalked out, clenching and unclenching his fists as he went.

Finding himself in the locker room Ron contemplated punching one of the metal lockers, before remembering the last time he did so and choosing to sit down instead, methodically banging his head against the locker belonging to the captain – the Seeker, Galvin Gudgeon.

"You sure you don't need that brain, Ron?"

Looking up, startled, Ron smiled wryly at the sight of the chaser, Delilah O'Hare, still dressed in her practice uniform. "Hello Dee. What're you still doing here this late? Practice finished a while ago, didn't it?"

The lithe brunette sat down beside him and began taking off some of her protective gear. "I wanted to do a bit more flying; Melissa, Shane and I were trying that play you suggested last week."

"Humph, don't let Gudgeon or Dorkins catch you doing that, they'd likely kick you from the team."

O'Hare chuckled lightly. "I know, but that's their problem, and Melissa and Shane agree. Besides, I'm only here till the end of the season anyway, and then I'm taking the Harpies up on their offer."

"That was for the reserve team, wasn't it? You'd go from playing almost every game to playing probably less than half a season." With an understanding smile, Ron continued, "though I can see it being worth it, just to get away from this archaic lot."

"Definitely. Plus they said one of their chasers is only playing for one more season, so there'll be an opening in just over a year's time on the main squad."

"It'll be a good opportunity Dee. I just wish I could find something like that, rather than wasting my time here." Frustrated, he hit his head on the locker again as the chaser stood. "I gave them an ultimatum. I said they needed to find a use for me or I'd leave after the next game."

Letting out a long whistle, Delilah put an arm out to help Ron up. "I would've liked to hear that. Though somehow I don't think it'll shake them any."

With a shrug, he began to make his way outside, leaving O'Hare standing next to her own locker. "I know, but it needed to be said, and I was thinking about quitting anyway. I'm going to start looking for something else after you play the Arrows."

o

Harry felt warmer than usual as he drifted out of sleep late the next morning. It didn't take him long to realise why as he turned his head towards the blonde in the bed next to him, still fast asleep. His heart felt lighter than it had been in a while and he lay quietly watching Seamus who had his mouth open slightly, a line of drool heading towards the pillow. Reaching out a hand, he brushed the Irish man's hair back for a moment before sliding quietly out of bed.

Clad in socks, boxers and a green Weasley-jumper for a little warmth, Harry sat at the table with a bowl of cereal. He thought about last night, with Seamus. It had been comfortable, a release; they were using each other, like they had done in America. Harry felt guilty about it occasionally, and had been wondering whether they were something more, or if they could be, before Seamus told him his plans. Part of the reason why he had reacted so strongly (and with so many swear words) at that breakfast was that he had been planning on speaking with Seamus to ask him to be his boyfriend. Harry had wanted to make it official, and it had seemed as though Seamus had thrown it in his face by not staying with him.

Harry had told himself that there was nothing more romantic to their relationship than friends-with-benefits, and he had come back to England alone. Since then he had gone on three dates with three different wizards, who had tended to be either star-struck, or a little on the arrogant side. The famous young wizard found it hard meeting someone who saw more than the boy-who-lived, and had avoided dating. After a while Harry had simply preferred not to go out at all, even with older acquaintances. With Seamus last night, Harry had managed to slip almost straight back into his previous mindset regarding the other wizard, but he wasn't sure where they stood with each other.

Thinking about that led to thinking about his life since he had come back, and what he had done for himself since. He had done absolutely nothing; no job, no new friends, no lasting relationships of any sort. Harry felt like he had stopped _living_; and it made him feel pathetic and depressed, yet he didn't know what he wanted to do. Seamus had at least done something interesting in living in a different country, even if it had been a way of running away. Harry, on the other hand, had simply set up house in a small town in the middle of England.

While he was slowly thinking, and letting his cereal get soggy in the milk, Seamus made his way into the kitchen in his boxers, a yawn escaping as he stepped through the doorway. "It's too early in the morning for you to be brooding, Harry." He said, not unkindly as he pulled up a seat next to the dark-haired young man.

"I'm not brooding." He replied defensively. "Why do you think I'm brooding?"

"Well, the soggy mess in your bowl for starters," Seamus moved the offending object out of reach and gently plucked the spoon from Harry's loose grip, "and the fact that I know you. I _know_ when something is bothering you, and from the looks of things it seems you've been doing far too much brooding."

"You've only been here one night! How can you say that?"

Cradling Harry's face in one hand, Seamus gently smoothed the lines forming on his forehead as he frowned. "I could tell that you hadn't been happy when I arrived yesterday, and this place looks like you've hardly left it for weeks.

"I'm not asking you to tell me what's wrong Harry, but I will listen if you do. It's better to talk about these things rather than let them build inside you. You know this Harry, so why haven't you talked to anyone?" Seamus looked him in the eyes and willed him to see the concern he felt. Harry was quiet, and Seamus could tell he was thinking.

"Y'know, if someone had told me back in sixth year that Seamus Finnegan could be a sensitive voice of reason I would've laughed at them," He said with a wry smile. "But, ever since then you've grown up; but not just that, because everyone _had_ to grow up then. You changed."

"For the better, I hope." Seamus spoke with a smirk.

"Definitely for the better," Harry replied emphatically. "I don't know what I would've done without you in those years. Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Neville were always there too, but I think you helped give me a fresh view of myself."

Seeing that Harry was a _little_ less broody than he had been, Seamus stood and set the kettle to boil, not bothering with magic, as he knew Harry preferred a muggle-style kitchen. He busied himself making two cups of tea, remembering to put sugar in Harry's, while Harry sat in silence.

The silence continued while they sipped their tea, Harry not willing to talk about what he had been thinking about, and Seamus keeping quiet so Harry could speak first.

o

Determined to take Harry out for a while that day, Seamus waited until they were both showered and dressed before springing his plans on Harry. The dark-haired wizard was busy towelling his hair dry in the bathroom when Seamus stood himself in the doorway, arms crossed and an easy smile on his face. It took Harry a moment to notice the Irish wizard, but immediately recognised the look on his face when he did.

"What's up Seamus?" He asked warily.

"We're going out today." Seamus' proclamation drew a raised eyebrow from Harry, but Seamus could see the younger wizard was disconcerted at the idea. "I want to catch up with some people, and it's much more fun with company!" Continuing to smile widely, he waited for Harry's reaction.

Harry turned away, breaking eye contact to return to drying his hair. "Fine."

Seamus was a little concerned with Harry's reaction. He had guessed that Harry had been down recently, but it was still strange to see his friend so apathetic when he was always so passionate about everything. Knowing he could only help if Harry wanted him to, Seamus retreated to organise himself so he was ready to go.

He wandered into the spare bedroom where a bed had been made up for him, though it hadn't been used. His bag was sitting just inside the door, and Seamus rifled through it quickly to find his money bag, wallet and cell-phone. Most of wizard-kind had gotten used to using muggle money after the goblins closed Gringotts for six months in 1999; Seamus had been one of the people who had used a muggle bank account during that time, though he had already had one from growing up with his muggle father. The cell-phone had been something he picked up in America, having mostly avoided the wizarding community over there it was a necessary tool. Seamus paused as he picked up his scarf; it had been a present from Harry in France.

"_You're cold, Seamus. Admit it." Harry teased, as Seamus tried to hide the fact that he was hunching into his jacket as much as possible. "I told you you would need a scarf, but you didn't listen to me."_

_Seamus groaned, "Yes, I should have listened to you. I was wrong, you were right. Is that what you wanted to hear?"_

_Harry nodded happily as he directed Seamus to a small table at an outdoor café. "Sit. I'll be back shortly." Thinking Harry was simply going to order coffee for the two of them Seamus sat blowing warm air into his hands._

_When Harry returned five minutes later, Seamus grumbled and reached for the coffee Harry was carrying, not noticing the small parcel tucked under his arm._

"_I got something else to warm you up, too." Harry said, and passed over the brown paper bag which Seamus stared at for a moment before tearing open._

_He laughed as he held up the scarf, quickly wrapping it around his neck and snuggling into it with a goofy smile. Harry could be incredibly thoughtful sometimes._

Seamus smiled and wrapped it around his neck before going to check on Harry, hearing the younger wizard fumbling around in his room. Sure enough, the dark-haired wizard was searching through a disorganised wardrobe for something, a shoe by the looks of things. Seamus gave a smile at the sight of Harry Potter, the defeater of Voldemort, standing in odd socks with a shoe in one hand, and the other digging for the matching pair.

"Alright there, Harry?" Seamus asked, "You look like you're having a bit of a problem."

Harry pulled his head out of the wardrobe and waved the shoe in his hand, "I can't find my other shoe! I know I had them both the other day." He stuck his head back into the mess, and Seamus moved to help.

It took them another five minutes to find the missing shoe which had somehow gotten to the back of the top shelf of the wardrobe, though Harry couldn't explain how. Seamus picked his things up from where he had placed them, and turned back to Harry.

"You all set to go, then? I thought we could wander down Diagon Alley for a bit, duck in to see Hermione and Dean as well as the Weasley twins, catch some lunch somewhere in there, just see what happens." He looked closely at Harry, trying to judge how he felt about it. It worried him when he saw that Harry was suppressing his emotions again, his face neutral, he thought Harry had stopped doing that a while ago.

"Harry…" Seamus began quietly while the younger wizard put his cloak on.

He turned sharply towards Seamus, giving him a look. "Let's go." The pair headed to the porch where they could disapparate and left with a crack.

* * *

A/N: And that was chapter two. I have a clear idea in my head of Harry's personality in this story, even though he's not like in the books, I figure he's gone through a LOT, and this is the result.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own it

**Disclaimer:** I don't own it.

**A/N:** This story is AU after HBP, the war went on a lot longer, and a lot of things happened very differently from DH, though I may include concepts and characters from DH. There is also SLASH in this story, you have been warned!

* * *

**APPLEBY**

CHAPTER THREE

Diagon Alley was relatively quiet, the cold air discouraging shoppers from venturing out. Seamus arrived at the apparition area ahead of Harry and only had to wait a moment before the other wizard appeared, alert and completely aware of his surroundings.

"Shall we just wander for a bit? See who we run into?" Seamus offered, wanting to give Harry a chance before dragging him to visit their friends. Even without mentioning it, he could see that Harry wasn't comfortable about visiting others. Nodding, Harry led the way down the street, his appearance confident, if a little expressionless.

The pair spent half an hour making their way down the alley, browsing a few stores as they went but mostly just walking and making small talk. Seamus could sense Harry was relaxing, and was glad for it.

Harry felt very self-conscious; a part of him was watching each passer-by, judging the possible threat they posed, as well as examining their expressions and wondering what they thought of him. He knew it was irrational to think they were all criticising him in their minds; yet it felt as though each person was judging him and finding something wrong. The young wizard tugged lightly on his robe as he commented briefly to Seamus on the storefront display for Quality Quidditch Supplies, desperate not to let his nerves show.

"Harry!" A shout went up from down the alley, turning many heads in the vicinity. The wizard in question whirled around, wand in hand, before visible flinching when he saw who it was. He sighed imperceptibly and put his wand back in his holster, he had thought he had tempered his reactions from the war when any sudden sound would set him off. Harry blamed it on having been on edge all morning.

"Fred, George." Harry said in greeting, a smile pasted onto his face as the energetic twins approached. He felt Seamus place a supportive hand on his back briefly, but stepped away from him, out of habit for having kept their relationship private around friends, and also not wanting either the Weasley twins or Seamus to think him weak. "How's business?"

"Business is booming, Harry," answered George, grinning as the four wizards stood in the middle of the Alley.

"We're in the middle of planning the opening for the Hogsmeade store," Fred chimed in, "Zonko's is getting worried." Seamus and Harry both laughed at the identical grins the twins sported, even if Harry's was more of a chuckle than a full out laugh.

"So, Seamus;" George began, "good to see you back in England."

"Did you get sick of the colonies?"

"The American accents?"

"The Starbucks on every corner?"

"Donuts?"

"How could he get sick of donuts George?" Fred asked with a mock expression of horror, "nobody can get sick of donuts!"

"Okay, so not the donuts." The other twin conceded as Seamus snickered, happy to hear the twin act again after going without it for a while. "Speaking of donuts, you have to come see our latest product!"

Fred pulled Seamus aside as George towed Harry down the street towards Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. "Whatever reason, it's good to see you back! And you got Harry to the Alley; he hasn't been visiting the store much recently, and both George and I are a bit worried about him."

Looking at Harry and George, Seamus frowned; he didn't want to betray Harry's apparent trust in him by talking about him too much, but he didn't want Harry to be alone. "I'm worried too Fred; something's not right with him, and even though I've only been back a short while I can see he's been depressed. I'm staying with him, so I'm going to try to talk to him and figure out what's wrong."

"Anything George and I can do?" Fred asked as they followed the other two slowly towards the store, sounding even more concerned than before. "Or any of the other Weasley's, we can rally the whole family together."

Seamus smiled at the idea of the entire Weasley clan descending on Harry, "I don't think so; he needs to get back into things a little more before he can handle you lot. I'll let you know though."

"Thanks, Seamus. We want our Harry back." They entered 93 Diagon Alley and watched as George demonstrated several products for an overwhelmed looking Harry.

"So do I," muttered Seamus softly as the object of his concern was standing stiffly by the counter watching George half-heartedly.

Fred obviously noticed Harry's discomfort as well, sighing dramatically as he stepped up to the counter. "I'm terribly sorry, Harry, but I'm going to have to steal your entertainer. We have a business meeting at Gringotts this afternoon and we have a lot of preparation to do."

Harry seemed oblivious to George's confusion at this statement, and barely even noticed when he winced at an elbow from Fred. When the twins had disappeared into the back of the store, Seamus came to stand next to Harry.

"You alright there?" He asked softly. "Should we head off and grab an early lunch at the Cauldron?"

"Yeah, sure." Harry's response was distant, and Seamus waited for the younger wizard to pull himself together before heading out of the store.

o

Ron was huddled into a warm Chudley Cannons cloak (thankfully for everybody else's fashion sense the only orange was the team's emblem on the breast) as he pushed open the door to Quality Quidditch Supplies. The store wasn't very busy, even though it was the Easter holidays, with only two customers browsing, and a rather bored looking sales assistant reading a Quidditch magazine at the counter. Ron approached the counter and waited for the assistant to notice him. When it became obvious the young wizard was incredibly unobservant, he gave a small cough, startling the young assistant so badly he dropped his magazine on the floor behind the counter.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!" He said, flustered and stammering a bit more as he turned red with embarrassment. "How can I help you?"

Ron smiled, not having the heart to get annoyed at the young wizard who looked as though he was a fifth year. He noted that the boy's nametag read Lachlan. "Is William in?"

Lachlan appeared even more flustered when Ron asked for the owner, "uh, Mr Watkins is on a break at the moment; he should be back soon, can I help? I could take a message?"

"Just tell him Ron Weasley stopped by." Ron turned to leave the store when the assistant jumped up.

"Wait, you're Ron Weasley? _The_ Ron Weasley?" Lachlan appeared to be beginning to hyperventilate and Ron prepared himself for another 'Harry Potter's best friend' rave, "I can't believe I'm meeting you! You fought against Voldemort; you were one of _the_ best strategists on our side! Mr Watkins told me you led a squad on broomsticks against the vampires, he said you used Quidditch moves to defeat them! And Mr Watkins showed me some of your games at Hogwarts; he said you were a brilliant Quidditch strategist too!"

It was Ron's turn to be flustered as he was more than a little taken aback by the boy's enthusiasm for him, and very surprised that Harry's name hadn't come up at all. Ron knew William Watkins thought him to be a good Quidditch coach, but hadn't realised he'd been telling stories to his young staff. "Uh, yeah, I am. I did … I mean … yes?"

Thankfully Lachlan didn't notice Ron's lack of eloquence as he was rushing round, muttering about finding a quill and parchment. He came back a moment later, a hesitant grin on his face as he held a quill out.

"Um, would you mind giving me your autograph? Please?" Ron couldn't bear to say no to the eager young wizard, even if he had wanted to, so he took the quill and wrote on the parchment, handing it back to Lachlan once he was done who read it over with a slightly embarrassed grin. _To Lachlan, Don't forget that strategy means being observant. All the best; Ron Weasley._

"Thanks so much! I'll make sure I tell Mr Watkins you stopped by." Lachlan was sitting at the counter, a satisfied smile on his face as he placed the piece of parchment in front of him. Ron just shook his head, feeling a little dazed at the thought of having a fan – particularly one that enthusiastic – and left for the Leaky Cauldron.

The gateway to Diagon Alley was getting busier as it came to lunch time, and Ron looked around for a small table where he could wait for Hermione. Ron and Hermione met up usually once a week for lunch, and had been doing so since they both started working regularly after the war. The pair had been in a relationship during the start of the war, but had decided to break it off after it began affecting their fighting. They also had felt they were both changing too much and didn't want the strain of a romantic relationship on their friendship, so they had stopped and had since been seeing other people. Ron knew he still felt very strongly about Hermione, but wasn't sure how she felt about him anymore; the red-haired wizard looked forward to seeing her, lately it had been a much needed highlight amongst his frustrating work with the Cannons.

The red-head was about to take a seat at a small table when he saw the entrance from the Alley to the Leaky Cauldron open and two wizards making their way through. Ron recognised Seamus with surprise, not having seen the Irish wizard for a while.

He approached the pair, not looking too closely at the wizard following quietly behind, "Seamus, mate! How are you?"

"I'm good Ron! It's been a while!" Seamus responded, untangling the scarf from his neck, and allowing Harry to step up beside him.

Ron noticed him then, "blimey, Harry! I didn't see you there." The three of them headed towards a table through an unspoken agreement, Seamus and Harry taking their cloaks off and hanging them over the chair backs. "Anyway, how've you both been? Anything interesting happened?"

..

Harry was feeling uncomfortable. The three of them had been sitting with their drinks for quarter of an hour, mostly talking about what they'd been up to. Actually it was Ron and Seamus who were doing most of the talking, every now and then asking Harry a question which he would half answer before turning the conversation back to them. He wasn't so stupid to think they wouldn't notice his evasion, but since Seamus already seemed to know Harry had been feeling awkward and nervous all day he decided there wasn't a lot he could do about it. He took another sip of his beer, happy to feel the alcohol dulling things a little, particularly since he had had very little to eat that morning. He tried to look happy, putting on a smile and laughing when it was appropriate, but he wanted to get out of the Leaky Cauldron, go back to the house in Appleby and curl up on his bed alone. It was at turns stressful and relaxing having Seamus around him, but the Alley had too many people in it to be relaxing in any way; he was constantly trying to play his role. Now he had to play the part for Ron as well, his best friend who knew him better than most. Harry knew he had been pushing his friends away during the war, working with them only when he had to. And after he went away, living like the war was still going on, just a different sort; he kept busy, and spent most of his time on helping out rather than socialising with all of his friends.

"… Harry?"

Jerked out of his thoughts, Harry realised he had lost track of the conversation, it seemed as though Ron had been attempting to get his attention for a while. "Er, sorry Ron. What did you say?"

The red-haired wizard stared intently at Harry, making him uncomfortable. "Are you all right Harry?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The response was automatic; he was always 'fine'.

"Really? You don't seem fine, you're a bit distant. Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

_Damn it,_ Harry swore in his mind. He hated it when people asked him if he was alright, if there was anything wrong. He shifted in his seat, fingers clenching a little tighter around the glass while his other hand formed a nervous fist under the table.

"I'm just a little bit tired, and zoned out! That's all." Harry forced a smile, hoping it looked natural. Ron kept looking at him with that intent stare, and Harry thought his friend was going to call him on what he knew was an obvious lie. He didn't, however, simply nodding at him.

"Make sure he gets a good night sleep tonight, Seamus," Ron said in an only half-faked mothering tone.

"Will do, Ron!" Seamus said, giving a mock salute.

"I don't need any mothering." Harry snapped out a little too loudly as several heads turned in their direction. Lowering his voice, he continued, "I can take care of myself." While he was aware he hadn't been doing a very good job of taking care of himself recently, Harry hated the way everyone was always trying to look after him.

"Harry…" Seamus spoke softly, trailing off as Harry focused his glare on him.

The tense moment between the three of them was broken when Ron stood and waved across the room desperately, calling out. "Hermione! Good to see you!"

Using the distraction to turn away, Harry looked down at the table and sipped at his beer. He was annoyed at himself for getting frustrated with Ron and Seamus, but he was getting sick of the constant presence. No doubt Hermione would ask him how he was too, now that she was here.

When Hermione had divested herself of her heavy winter robe and scarf she did a round of hugs, and Harry tried not to flinch as she wrapped her arms around him last.

"What a gathering this is," she said with a smile, "I get to have lunch with three men instead of just the one I was expecting. You two are having lunch aren't you?" Hermione asked Harry and Seamus, smiling again when Seamus responded. "Good, I missed out on having lunch with Harry yesterday, and it's good to see you back home Seamus." Ron cleared his throat pointedly as Hermione focused on the other two. "Of course I also enjoy having lunch with you Ron."

Seamus chuckled as Ron looked a little too pleased at that declaration; he'd always thought there was still something more than friendship between them, even after they'd broken up. Harry knew Ron was unsure where he stood with Hermione, and he suspected they'd simply needed time apart to adjust to having changed and grown up. Since he hadn't talked to Hermione in a while, he wasn't sure how she felt about him, but it wouldn't surprise him if she felt much the same way.

Harry watched the interaction between the other three at the table as they waited for their meals to arrive, Hermione questioning Seamus on America and Ron glancing at her every so often – just like he did back at school. Seamus was in his element being the entertainer, though he glanced towards Harry with a concerned look every so often.

Their meals soon arrived, and the conversation continued more slowly as Ron, Seamus and Hermione ate their meals – Ron and Seamus eating voraciously to the disgust of Hermione. Harry could barely bring himself to eat his meal, he'd been hungry before, but now just looking at the burger and chips made him feel nauseous. He ate small mouthfuls every so often to stop the others looking at him and moved his food around on his plate distractedly.

It wasn't long before Hermione had to leave to go back to work, and Ron offered to walk her back down the Alley. They all stood, and Hermione gave both Seamus and Harry another hug.

"Take care of each other, you two." Hermione said as she left the table with Ron.

Seamus looked at Harry carefully after Ron and Hermione had left. "Do you want to keep looking around the Alley?"

Harry hesitated. "If you want to, I don't mind."

"We could have a quiet afternoon; maybe head out to do something in the evening?" Seamus suggested; realising Harry would prefer to go home.

The dark-haired wizard just nodded, and followed Seamus through the pub to the apparition point.

o

Draco was sitting quietly in his small apartment glaring at the muggle television that was currently showing static. He had been living in the apartment for three weeks and still couldn't figure out how to make it show something else. Draco hated living in the small place, but once his father started catching on that he was up to something it had become unsafe to stay in the Manor. He had moved into the apartment on the recommendation of his lawyer and, though he knew it was a good idea to stay somewhere unexpected (and what was more unexpected than a Malfoy living in muggle London?), he wished he could move out and live somewhere that was more fitting – or at least somewhere where there was another witch or wizard.

A tapping at the window made Draco turn the television off in frustration before opening the sliding door to let the owl in. The bird – Mathilda, Zabini's frustrating owl – decided it would wait for Draco to come to it, and perched on the balcony railing looking smug.

"Bloody bird." Draco muttered as he huddled into his coat and stepped out into the cold night. He finally managed to coax Mathilda into giving him the letter and hurriedly went back inside where it was much warmer. The letter was addressed in a scrawling hand far different to Blaise's usually neat writing. Frowning, Draco quickly read the letter twice before throwing it to the table and hurrying to his bedroom.

Throwing the few belongings he had into a bag, Draco looked around frantically searching for anything he might have forgotten. Blaise had risked a lot sending him the warning, and Draco wasn't going to waste it. Checking the rest of the small apartment didn't take long, and he was soon back by the balcony and wondering where he should go.

Draco usually didn't use apparition from or into his apartment, as it would be too easy for somebody to track him, but that didn't matter anymore. Fixing his destination in his mind he spun on his foot and disapparated.

* * *

**A/N: **I think this story is going to be very slow going… both in terms of the pacing and how often I get chapters out. I'm writing this story more for me than anything else, but I hope somebody is enjoying reading it :)


End file.
